1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to retaining a CPU cooling apparatus to a CPU for efficient heat transfer.
2. Background of the Invention
The function of a computer's central processing unit (CPU) plays an important role in the effectiveness of the computer. For this reason, manufactures conduct research and development to improve the functionality of the computer to meet the needs of users. Research and development continue to produce computers with increasing capacity, faster operational speeds, and more powerful functionalities. In large part, these improvements are due to the efforts to create a more powerful CPU.
In a conventional computer assembly, heat dissipation is performed by way of attaching a heat sink on top of the CPU. The heat sink includes a plurality of cooling fins on the top and/or sides of the heat sink so that heat is guided via conduction from the CPU to the bottom of the heat sink contacting with the CPU, and then to the cooling fins. The heat is then drawn out of the computer housing by a cooling fan that passes a flow of air over the cooling fins. Regardless of specific implementations, efficient heat dissipation from the CPU is promoted by good thermal contact between the CPU and the heat sink, which depends on how well the heat sink is secured to the CPU.
Existing methods for attaching a heat sink to a CPU have some drawbacks. One deficiency is that the heat sink and the CPU may not maintain good thermal contact to each other during operation of the computer. Keeping good thermal contact between the heat sink and the CPU is important for effective heat conduction; otherwise, the heat conduction from the CPU to the heat sink becomes less effective. Additionally, attaching a heat sink to the CPU may require special tools or joining components. Further, for heat sinks that have a lateral side attached to an auxiliary cooling device (e.g., by one or more heat pipes 51), the center of gravity of the heat sink and cooling device assembly is not aligned with the CPU. This may cause the heat sink to lift off from horizontal contact with the CPU unless the heat sink is secured to the CPU tightly.